Gimme Puppy

by admin on December 31, 2012

I know a family that has continuously made bad financial decisions. Having a pricey wedding when they couldn’t afford it, purposely having another baby when their first is already on Medicaid. It goes on and on. The mother is always begging for hand outs on a social media website. The other day she was begging people to take her out to eat because she had a craving but couldn’t afford to go out.

Today’s post takes the cake though. Even though the family can barely afford to get by and needed help getting Christmas for their children, they adopted a puppy. Now said puppy is adorable but you don’t go and adopt one if you can’t afford to take care of yourself. Well, puppy broke a bone and needs surgery. Instead of turning the puppy in to the local emergency clinic (they provide free medical care if you sign over your rights and then place it up for adoption when it is fully healed) they went to http://www.gofundme.com/ and created a request for people to pay for the surgery. In the mean time the puppy has been suffering for days. The topper is they are asking for $800 more then what they were quoted for the surgery. 1227-12

It’s time to contact the agency that adopted the puppy to them and alert them of the situation. It is very unfortunate that animals and children must suffer the consequences of stupid adult choices. You are right in believing that if one cannot afford to feed and care for oneself or family then adding a pet is a poor decision. Proper vet care is an added and necessary expense when one takes on the responsibility of stewarding a pet.

I have occasionally financially assisted people with the care of animals in need of vet care but in every case, I assumed ownership over the animal. One needed euthanizing, the others I found loving homes after providing preliminary vet care. You or a group of friends may have to do the same for this poor creature.

I almost started to cry with this post. Poor puppy! Call the animal shelter or agency that adopted him out, or call the police and report animal cruelty, STAT! That puppy is suffering and needs medical care pronto, and he doesn’t need to be in the possession of irresponsible owners. The puppy can’t get help nor can he make his owners provide him help, so you need to make a stand. I would do it if I knew who these people are.

This crosses the line from an etiquette issue into a criminal one, in my opinion. The proper authorities need to be notified so that they can determine if this is a case of animal cruelty. I’d be very surprised if they deemed that it wasn’t.

As for begging for funds on social media sites, I would quietly remove the woman from my friends list. It might be tempting to keep tabs on how hilarious her ridiculous requests get, but maybe if enough people sever contact she’ll take the hint.

All animal shelters I’ve ever heard of would never allow a family that is this financially destitute to adopt an animal. Frankly, that makes me kind of question the veracity of their story.

Yes, I’d notify whatever animal welfare organization services their area and give them a heads up about this couple. If there really is a puppy, they’ll rescue it. If no such puppy exists, perhaps at least their scam will come to an abrupt end.

Seriously. Get the puppy a decent home. People like that will NOT care for the animal the way it needs to be cared for.

One of my very good friends recently adopted a 13 year old dog – its owners gave it to the shelter because it was ‘too old’. My friend couldn’t stand the idea of the dog living out its last days in a pound, so she took her home. The poor dog’s teeth were in such bad shape she had to have 4 of them pulled. I don’t know all the facts, but my guess is they adopted the dog, fed it, but never took it to the vet for annual check-ups or anything. When the dog was young, that wasn’t a big issue, but when she got old, problems started to arise, as they do, and so they abandoned her.

This long-winded story is just to point out that your friends strike me as the exact same sort of people. Well-meaning, I’m sure, and they will love and feed the dog, but they don’t have the brains or the money to take care of a pet the way they need to be cared for. Get the dog out of their house for the good of everyone involved.

One of the best things you can do is remove the toxic moochers from your social circle, some people will always take without giving back and won’t learn to make good decisions as long as their friends enable them.

There will always be people in need amongst your friends, but the ones who are true friends will also help others out instead of just taking. I have friends who can’t afford to do a lot for others financially, but when someone helps them they always do something in return as a gesture of thanks.

I am always surprised by the lack of shame some people have. It is like people my age and younger (I’m 32) have never heard the phrase “You ought to be ashamed of yourself.”

Building a solid financial foundation is simple: Spend less than you earn.
If you don’t have the money, don’t buy it.
Oh, it isn’t easy. There will always be that shiny thing you want or feel you deserve. But it is worth the peace of mind it gives.

In earlier generations there was a stigma attached to accepting charity. People would no more air their financial short comings than they would parade down the street naked.

Your finances are personal. It was at one time considered trashy and gauche to talk about how much money you make, how much you spent on purchases, etc…

There are times to swallow your pride and ask for help. Unforeseen and bad things do happen to people.

If your kid gets sick and you owe the hospital tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars, by all means start a charity and raise funds.

If the primary breadwinner in your family is suddenly unable to work and you and your family are going to end up in the streets, start calling churches, charities, and social services to see what options are available to you.

However if you sleep on an air mattress, but just HAD to have the new iPhone… I have no sympathy for your plight.

If you are the type of couple where he buys a car you can’t afford so in retaliation you go out and buy a laptop you also can’t afford leaving the kids to eat dry cereal because there is no money for milk… I have no sympathy for your plight. (I have a lot of sympathy for your kids, but none for you.)

I understand. It can be hard to live within your means.
I am currently working on paying down 4 credit cards because earlier in the year I was depressed and somehow thought plunging myself into debt would make me feel better. But I’m not asking my friends to pay off the balance for me. I’m not asking my parents or siblings to take me out because I can’t afford to do it on my own. I made the bad financial decisions. So I am the one sacrificing things I’d like to have in order to put my financial house back in order.

That is called being a grown-up. How did other people in my generation and younger miss this lesson?

Where did this overwhelming sense of entitlement come from? If you can’t afford to eat out but really want your favorite dish at such and such restaurant – time to start pinching your pennies. Time to earn some extra income while cutting down on other expenses. Make that meal a well earned reward for staying within your budget.

This is just absurd. Admin, or whomever, PLEASE report this to the ASPCA or animal control immediately. A helpless animal is suffering.
What is wrong with people? How can they think this is acceptable behavior? Please, whoever has access to these people DO SOMETHING!

Poor dog. Poor children, too, having to grow up in this kind of household.

There’s a belief in this country that people on ‘welfare’ are lazy and scammers, and jerks like this help perpetuate the belief. The worst part is that in the end its not just a problem for taxpayers, it’s also an issue for these idjits’ friends, their children, and the puppy.

I’m actually kind of worried now, wondering just how the puppy broke a bone. I wonder if the children are in danger, too.

Oh that poor puppy! To think that they haven’t gotten him to the vet yet! Most vets would set up payment plans too. They can get the surgery first and beg later.

I don’t understand people like this. If they’re constantly begging already, why get a puppy in the first place? It’s about entitlement. They think they deserve it, and that if they can’t afford it, that everyone else should pay for it by hook or by crook. That’s why they’re asking for $800 more – to fund all the other things they “deserve”.

These people are what I refer to as “system players”. They have learned how the system works and now have no incentive to get off the government/tax payer dime.

And why should they? Whenever they have a crisis (or even a craving) well meaning friends pitch in to help them. They are being rewarded for their poor behavior and will continue to be…even if their friends drift away; they manage to find new ones to help out. Thus begins a lifetime of poor choices and poor examples for their children.

Our local SPCA adopts out to anyone that can afford the adoption fee so for under $100 you get a spayed/neutered pet with current vaccinations or a certificate to get said paid pet fixed later. Quite a bargain and it’s even a lower fee in other communities.

I doubt that the SPCA or any police entity can take the puppy away but it is worth a call – please keep us updated. I also agree there is no excuse for animal mishandling!

After reporting the case to ASPCA or another animal humane society-type service, I’d also suggest reporting this to the “gofundme” site as well. Maybe it violates a policy of theirs and having the site shut down the petition/panhandling would send the message to this couple that their request is inappropriate…

It seems probable that they got the pup from a guy in the paper or a neighbor, not an agency.

Even though it is easier to give away puppies and kittens for free, it is often better to sell them, even for a token cost. People seem to value them more when they cost money, and isn’t that a sad fact of life?

Also, since if you’re giving away puppies and kittens it is likely you have an unseated female, it is always better to get them fixed, and hopefully to get the babies done before you parcel them out. Many areas have low cost options for neutering, and it is both more responsible and also better for their health to alter your animals, especially the females.

I don’t think there is anything the OP can do personally with this lady. She would be better off reporting the animal abuse to the proper authorities, and maybe contacting the puppy’s original owner or adoption agency and tell them exactly what they are doing with the dog so they can become black listed from that a particular place and any connections they have.

Admin is making an assumption that these people adopted their puppy through some sort of agency or organization or shelter. More likely, they got the puppy from some family or individual like themselves: someone who owns a female dog that they couldn’t afford to spay, and who just willy-nilly gives the inevitable puppies away to anyone who will take them.

FWIW, I agree that the authorities ought to be notified about the lack of care the puppy is receiving, but I’m not hopeful that anything can be done. Unless the puppy is in obvious and extreme agony, the family may br admonished to “see a vet,” but that’s about the limit of what will be done. And if the puppy was confiscated by authorities, unless a private individual or group stepped up to pay the bills, most likely the puppy would be euthanized. Government-funded animal control/regulation agencies are so financially strapped that they can only afford to enforce the most egregious complaints of animal cruelty or neglect.

This is how private individuals can help to stop irresponsible people from getting animals:

First, support laws that require people to spay or neuter their animals. Support private groups that assist low-cost or free spay or neuter clinics. Ask your vet to provide assistance to such groups. In a pinch, volunteer to pay yourself to have adoptable animals spayed or neutered. This is, without a doubt, the most effective way to keep animals out of the hands of people who can’t or won’t take care of them.

Second, as an individual, demand that existing animal control laws be enforced. This means, if you know a scoff-law who doesn’t license their animals, report them! If there is someone you know who is always letting their dog get out, or run around off leash in your neighborhood, report them! If there is someone whose dog barks for hours on end, report them! If you see an animal that isn’t being cared for, report it! This may seem unkind or unfriendly to the owner, but there have to be consequences for not doing the right thing, or people like the idiots in today’s post have no reason to stop being idiots.

Third, become aware of resources that are available to help people, and refer animal owners to these resources. If you know of a low-cost spay and neuter clinic, tell people about it. If you know of a no-kill shelter or rescue group that will take an animal from someone, no questions asked, offer to call the group or shelter for the owner, if they’re to embarrassed to make the call themselves. If you know of a low-cost or free obedience training class, tell people about it. Sometimes people just need a little nudge in the right direction to correct themselves.

Finally, advocate for education about the responsibilities of pet ownership. Because people know I own animals, and because people know I will happily provide information about animals, I get pulled in to a lot of situations where people who are thinking about getting an animal ask questions. Because I grew up in a family where money was tight, I understand what it’s like to want a companion animal but not be able to afford one. I know some of the alternatives to pet ownership, like fostering rescue animals for rescue groups, “sharing” care of an animal with another family, providing care for other people’s animals, and so forth.

Also, recognize that when you own animals yourself, you become an “ambassador” for animal ownership. Make darn sure that you are a good ambassador by being responsible: take care of your animal properly, train your animals appropriately, and in general be a good citizen.

@OP… So sorry that you have such acquaintances! The saddest part is that there are just too many people that have no idea that, in most cases, toddlers and small pets are not a good match. Someone’s very likely to be hurt and/or live a life of misery.
And then, there’s also the “lifestyle” of these entitled, mooching individuals that live the same way as described by you.
“As seen on TV”: a woman stating, that just because they were poor, it was not a reason why her children should not have nice things for Xmas.
I remember “poor”. There were NO expectations, nor hopes for anything beyond the modest norm. Holidays, birthdays, all year round.

Hey guys, original poster here. Just wanted to update you and let you know the puppy has now gotten medical attention thankfully. They chose a cheaper route then surgery but still one provided and overseen by a vet. I am not sure who paid for the treatment. They did not get the puppy from a shelter and defiantly didn’t cause the break (they irresponsible beyond belief but not malicious). They paid for it basics (shots for example) but couldn’t pay for emergencies and should never have gotten a puppy due to their already difficult finical hardship.

Just wanted to thank everyone for their concern ( so amazing to see how many posters share a love of animals) and update them with the semi happy news that he was getting help now.

This reminds me of the people I see on People’s Court who own all the latest electronics – phones, 80-in. TV, computers, etc. – but can’t seem to pay their child support. If you can’t afford it, don’t buy it. And yes, people who can’t pay their bills should NOT own pets. Even simple checkups/shots for pets are expensive, let alone food, cat sand for cats, grooming for dogs. It really adds up fast, especially when pets get older. I see a lot of people around my area who, the minute they buy a house with a yard, think they just have to get a dog. They enjoy the dog for a couple of months, then leave it out in the yard alone for the rest of its life. I’ve talked to people in my neighborhood who are surprised to hear we take our cat to a vet; their animals have never been to a vet. It’s so sad.

That’s just sick, just sick. They have no right to own a fish! We adopted a shelter dog, special needs (broken hips that never healed right), that nobody else wanted. We love her. You need to report these people and help that puppy get a good home!

This really makes my blood boil!!! I am a HUGE animal lover. So many people get pets, because they are so cute, but fail to realize what a huge responsibility they are. Then they simply neglect said pet when they become an inconvenience. Inexcusable!!! I urge everyone to please donate to the ASPCA (you can become a sponsor for only 18 bucks a month-even I can afford that!) or your local shelter. Glad puppy is doing better, but these people have absolutely NO business owning a pet.

Poor puppy! I made sure not only could I afford my cat, but the insurance for him. Not sure about American, but you can get pet insurance and I not only got one for him for accidents and illness. I chose the one that give a percentage back to the RSPCA (national pet welfare charity). That way I will never have to choose between my pet and the money and give him all the chances he can.

Wow, this is awful. I’m glad the OP updated us stating the animal got help. Probably not very good help. I still think they need the animal taken away. The poor dog will have a bum leg for life unless it was a small fracture and not a complete break.

That entire GoFundMe website needs to be shut down. It is a fertile forum for scammers to prey on the elderly and lonely. There is no way any of the posters’ requests can be verified. Come on-there is an entire section dedicated to people asking strangers to contribute to dream destination weddings, another for people wanting the general public to pay their IV pregnancy and adoption expenses, help them gain custody of kids, move to other states,etc. I did not see anything that was a valid request for funds. How could GoFundMe exercise any oversight?

We have 9 indoor rescue cats. Rain or shine, employed or unemployed, we have provided them a forever home at our own expense, except when we took them to low cost neuter & shots services to comply with all pet owner laws and give them the basics to start them off on a quality life.

As someone who has been wanting a puppy for several years now, but has not been in the financial spot to do so this story burns me up. I grew up with dogs(show dogs ) and both my mother and uncle were breeders so I know better than most my age just how much a dog on its own costs without having any extras – breeding, events, handlers etc.

Since the OP has chimed in that this was not a shelter/rescue pup this story also points out the folly of just giving an animal to anyone, especially through sites like craigslist. Pets are a luxury not a god given right.

Funds like that are always sketchy to me if the money is not going directly to the vet.

These people should not own a pet, however. Pets are a not a right, they’re a privilege and they don’t belong with people who can’t pay to have them taken care of.

We are by no means well off but we take care of two cats here at home and have never had any illusions about the fact that their upkeep and proper prioritizing of needs will prevent us from having nicer things, vacations, new gadgets, etc. We spend almost as much on them as we do on our own needs on a monthly basis because they’re our children and will never ever go without the best we can provide them. I know that we’re on the extreme end of the spectrum with pet lovers but people who selfishly take in an animal they can’t take care of are the reason shelters are so full of unwanted animals.

You don’t have to be rich to own a pet, but you do have to be willing to treat their care as a financial necessity. You wouldn’t let your child live without medical care, why would you let an animal?

I’m glad the puppy has gotten medical care, but I still worry about the screwed up priorities of this family and how that will impact the future of the dog. I’m not as worried about the future of the kids, as the OP didn’t indicate any sign of abuse or neglect towards them. Though irresponsibility with finances has the own impact on the kids (both in behavior taught and in things like affording higher education), it isn’t even close to the same level.

On the one hand — poor puppy! Yes, it needs immediate medical help. On the other, poor people, even those who’re poor because they make bad decisions, need the comfort of a pet as much as — perhaps more than — rich people. Their kids, even more so. Rather than assign blame, I’d like to share a list of resources for emergency pet care: https://www.facebook.com/americandogmag

While I agree that one should not get animals if not able to take care of them in every situation (and I agree that in this particular case actions mentioned in several posts above might be needed), I do not think that entitlement is often the best word used when people get animals they do not have money (or other means) to take care of. From what I’ve seen, I’d rather use word hope. Many feel that animal (or a child) might save their live. “Now that I get this dog I will start a new life. Regular life. I will wake up early every morning and take it to a long walk. I’ll feed it with best food regularly and at the same time I fix my eating habits too. I will have somebody to love me and somebody who will comfort me now as my life is total mess. And then I’ll be sharp and land a (better) job or take charge of my studies, because from now on I will be responsible and caring person, and a best dog owner ever. ” Well, like New Year resolutions these things don’t often come true. Sometimes though.

This does not make it right, but sometimes it’s hard to know what is behind there. One family I knew asked me to loan them some money so they could get a puppy they wanted (it was of some breed, the puppy alone costing several hundred dollars). Actually, that time I was very happy I did not have the money to lend out, I did not have to think excuses because getting puppy you cannot afford to pay usually means that you cannot afford to pay for it’s care. They weren’t doing that well at that time but actually otherwise weren’t really moochers. So I can’t really judge if they were feeling entitled or if they just hoped something that would be there to help them through the hard days.

This just sickens me. I love animals, and recently had to have a beloved lap-dog put down. Having to do that broke my heart, but I have to say that along with all the kissing and petting she could tolerate, she had regulary veterinary care as well!

Please people….if you can’t afford a pet (and it can get expensive!) or a child – Don’t Have One!! No one will think the less of you, and these animals can go to the homes of people who can truly take care of them.

Sorry, Mer. I don’t agree with your comment. Getting an animal you can’t afford, even to “save your life” and “make you more responsible” is just entitlement and bad excuses for not cleaning up your act earlier. I’ve heard the same ridiculous claims to justify having a baby, and those people end up being the worst parents. It’s not up to a pet or a baby to “save your life”. It’s something you need to do before you take on the additional responsibility of another living being.

And your friends, who wanted the puppy that cost several hundred dollars? They should not be going to others for the money to adopt a dog. If you can’t afford to get it, you can’t afford to take care of it. It’s like wanting to adopt a baby but wanting family and friends to lend you the adoption fee.

“All animal shelters I’ve ever heard of would never allow a family that is this financially destitute to adopt an animal. Frankly, that makes me kind of question the veracity of their story. ”

I know the OP clarified that the family didn’t get their puppy from a shelter, so this is a moot point, but your comment makes no sense to me. I’ve never had either a shelter or a rescue organization ask me to prove I was financially sound enough to afford emergency surgery for my pet. Yes, they asked if I was prepared for such expenses, but all one would have to do is say “yes.”

I work in a veterinary emergency hospital, as it happens, and I can state with certainty that puppies actually break bones all the time. Depending on the breed, it can be something as simple as jumping from the couch to the floor that causes the break.I would not immediately assume it was abuse or neglect, as it is a very common injury. Our hospital does not do billing of any sort, and the reason is simple – very often, caught up in the emotions surrounding an emergency, people will promise the moon. Once the crisis has passed, however, reality sets in and the bill simply does not get paid. Clients at an emergency hospital do not go in regularly, so it is not as though they have they same type of relationship that would evolve with their regular veterinary practicioner. There is no real obligation to pay their bill and the only thing we can threaten is refusal of future service and collections, neither of which is scary to a lot of people. If they do not pay their bill, they simply will never come back – unless they need services again at 4 am. At our hospital we always offer whatever alternatives we possibly can so the client can afford service, and if they cannot, and the animal is suffering, we either offer surrender ( where the animal becomes our ward and we treat & then adopt to someone who can afford their care) or euthanasia at no charge ( if the animal is quite critical and/or close to death). No one who works in veterinary medicine wants to see animals suffer without care, and I see many folks who cannot afford it. However, there is a big, big difference between an 8 year old dog that had an accident and the client cannot afford to treat it, and a puppy they just obtained. With a puppy, chances are your financial situation has not changed dramatically – you didn’t have any money when you got it and now, a few weeks or months later, you still don’t have any money. With an adult animal that you have had for years it is reasonable to assume that the financial situation has changed at some point, as it does for many of us. I would never, ever cast judgement or blame if someone could not afford to treat their beautiful pet that they have loved for years – but I have nothing but anger towards those who knowingly and intentionally get animals that they cannot afford to care for.

The Elf: I said it did not make it right, didn’t I. What I was trying to say is that the outcome is not wanted, but there might not be malicious intent behind it, and I do think that most of them really want to be good dog owners. They just overestimate themselves. For animal, the result is bad thing, which is why I clearly also expressed that this is not something I support and would not enable.

And you also misunderstood me. The animal is not actually the motivation. It’s the symbol. (Bit like marriage is one symbol for a relationship but not the motivation for it, for most at least.) But even as a motivation, well, living things are about the only thing worth to create motivation. To better something living. Inanimate things? They are worthless basically and that’s why a very lousy and useless motivators. Of course one should find the power from inside, but then, hardly anyone can live their lives on their own, without getting support from other living ones. That is why we are social animals.

But to underline, even when without malicious intent, or even with a good intent, the result can be disastrous. Animals should neither be taken lightly, nor without proper possibility to care of them.